The John Wayne Gacy Murders The IT character Pennywise may have been based on the serial killer. While there is some debate on whether Gacy truly influenced the creation of Pennywise, the two are eerily similar, as both dress as clowns and target children.

Who was Pennywise inspired by?

Almost certainly the most well-known evil clown (save for Batman¹s archnemesis, the Joker; more on him later), Pennywise is modeled after real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, aka Pogo the Clown, a.k.a. "The Clown Killer." Gacy was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing 33 boys in 1980; he posed as a clown ...

Where did the idea of Pennywise come from?

2017 film and 2019 sequel:

King stated in a 2013 interview that he came up with the idea for Pennywise after asking himself what children feared "more than anything else in the world", and feeling that the answer was clowns.

Was Pennywise based on Bozo?

He has a white face and a bald head, with red hair on either side. His mouth has a red clown smile. He wears large white gloves and is usually carrying a bunch of balloons. Stephen King based his appearance on Ronald McDonald, Bozo the Clown, Clarabell the Clown, and John Wayne Gacy.

Where did Stephen King get his inspiration for IT?

The main character was inspired by the classic children's story Three Billy Goats Gruff, and King originally wanted the It character to be a troll inhabiting the local sewer system. He also wanted to depict the interweaving stories of children that impact them into adulthood.

IT: The Complete History of Pennywise | Horror History

Is Pennywise a figment of their imagination?

Sometimes, but mostly no. Pennywise's illusions can be very real, even if the person next to you is experiencing something completely different. Even moreso, these physical illusions can gain or lose power depending on whether you believe it and how strong your imagination is or how hard It is trying.

Why did Bob Gray become Pennywise?

We can thereby conclude that in It Chapter Two that Bob Gray was a 19th century clown (or thereabouts) in a traveling circus who made the mistake of coming to Derry. Like how It can become Beverly's father to torment her, It often becomes Pennywise, delighting in the laughter and screams of children.

Who was Pennywise before he was a clown?

Pennywise the Clown is not a clown at all. The Pennywise the clown origin story sees an ancient, evil being that is perhaps as old as the universe itself. In the novel, however, the entity IT/Pennywise has a real name — Bob Gray. Bob Gray isn't human, however, and shares the same origin as IT.

Who was the first evil clown?

In 1801, Grimaldi first appeared at Sadler's Wells Theater with smears of conspicuous make-up and dressed in bizarre clothing. With this costume, he established the clown as a strange archetypal nightmare. It was “unsettling because it superimposed childlike… body adornment over a distinctly adult…

Why is clown called Pennywise?

Why is the clown name Pennywise in Stephen King's IT? The Pennywise moniker has direct origins with the old English phrase Penny Wise and Pound Foolish, which denotes someone who is careful with the spending of small sums of money but careless and wasteful with larger amounts.

What is Pennywise scared of?

Stephen King's IT introduced readers to a one-of-a-kind creature that can take any form, the most common one being Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and as menacing as it is, this creature has one big enemy it's truly scared of: Maturin, the turtle.

How did Pennywise become evil?

Pennywise was always evil - or, more accurately, he never really existed. He was just a creation of IT to lure in children so they could be terrified and then eaten. Or so that IT could create chaos, incite riots and spread fear.

What is Pennywise famous line?

Quotes. It : I'm every nightmare you've ever had. I'm your worst dream come true. I'm everything you ever were afraid of.

What did Pennywise do to Georgie?

Pennywise offers Georgie his boat back, but when Georgie attempts to reach out to it, Pennywise grabs Georgie's arm and bites it off, leaving Georgie to bleed to death in the rain.

How many kills did Pennywise get?

Pennywise's Kills Add Up Over Time

The number is then multiplied by the number of times Pennywise has awakened -- once every 27 years throughout the 270-year history of Derry, equaling ten times -- to come up with a final tally of between 12,000 and 18,000 dead.

Does Pennywise have a gender?

Throughout Stephen King's It, Pennywise is referred to as a male, but author Stephen King pulled a fast one on readers in the It book ending by revealing the creature's true form was a pregnant spider, implying that it is, in fact, biologically female.

Who was the saddest clown in history?

Emmett Kelly was a clown widely recognized for his hobo character “Weary Willie.” While most clowns were known for their funny antics, Kelly's sad clown character became popular during the Great Depression because he connected with the many downtrodden and poor people who struggled during this difficult time.

What kind of demon is IT the clown?

But, the film makes clear, It (sometimes written as “IT”) isn't just a clown. Oh no. As detailed in King's novel, he's an ancient, cosmic being, described in the novel as an “Eater of Worlds”, who is able to adopt a variety of nasty guises.

Who is the scariest killer clown in horror?

Is Pennywise afraid of Eddie?

Movie info

He is also a mentioned character in 11/22/63. He is the youngest of the seven members of The Losers' Club, and the only member Pennywise is afraid of.

What is Pennywise's weakness?

That is, when Pennywise morphs into a werewolf, he is subject to the same weaknesses as a werewolf, including silver slugs. In both the original novel and made-for-television adaptation, Pennywise is weakened using silver bullets melted down from earrings.

Is IT based on a true story?

Answer and Explanation: No, Stephen King's It is not based on a true story. King had the idea for It when looking at an old wooden walking bridge in 1978 near his home in Boulder, Colorado.

Why are Pennywise eyes blue?

Being such a powerful being, Pennywise clearly sensed that the yellow coloring was unsettling to Georgie, so he changed his eyes to blue on the fly as a way to make Georgie associate him with family and safety. This made Georgie all the easier to lure in to his bloody demise.

Why does Pennywise have blue eyes?

Did you notice something off about Pennywise's eyes in IT? Other than just being really creepy, they actually change color going from yellow to blue. But why does he do that? He changes them to blue in order to lure Georgie.

Why did Pennywise drool?

IT (2017)- Pennywise is seeing drooling many times throughout the movie. This was not an effect. Bill Skarsgård had to have prosthetic teeth in that made him drool excessively in many scenes.